NO NO NO NO
an .info tld will cause you almost as many problems getting listed as the free hosting and private whois does (heck perhaps more problems)

Yes a .com domain is the best , and for starters don't worry too much about the domain name...make it real words and not just letters mixed up and you will be ok (domains such as www.vjopsfajb.com are a no no)
goddady or name cheap will set you back about 10 bucks for a domain for a year

And hosting is very cheap....if the budget is very tight go with a cheapie, there are bargains all around, but be careful as you get what you pay for in reliability and service...you might want to pay a bit more and go with colo or one of the other top hosts as you might pay a tad more, but they may save you headaches down the road

My advice. Listen to what people tell you here. You'll be far better off. Spend at least 3 months just doing what others suggest and keep quiet. Be very polite and appreciative of any help you receive.

THEN once you know a little of what you are doing start being a little more critical and apply your own experiences to what is suggested. Start experimenting a lot more but keep listening and reading.

The people suggesting that you should get your own domain (preferably a .com) and hosting are RIGHT ON if you wish to submit freesites or tgp galleries. There is no other way around it.

You don't need a dedicated server right now. You need virtual shared hosting and you can get that for as low as $10 a month. Hell even Dreamhost would probably be better than what you have now and I think you can get that for $30 a year. Just keep in mind that soon when you get bigger you likely need to change hosts. But for now, don't worry. Just get some private hosting somewhere which allows adult.

Work hard, work smart. Go balls out.

Check out Holwling-Wulf's blog and critique on one of my TGP galleries.
http://www.howling-wulf.com/2009/06/...sign-review-1/

It is sure nice to get some real-world feed back from webmasters that have been in the game and have more experience with gallery design formats, hosting, how to drive sales effectively and understand bandwidth efficiency. It all translates to $$.

I feel pretty lucky to have been give all this incredible feed back from Howling-Wulf as well as everyone here on the boards.

Thanks again
Oliver

balls out!

MeatPounder - I have never had a problem submitting a .info domain, but I can understand why it might not be your first choice.